Joker 2 trailer sparks fury as fans outraged by major change to Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn: ‘Disappointing!’

The promo begins with Arthur nervously pacing in his cell before her catches the eye of Harleen while being jostled through Arkham’s halls.

Before long, the two are in the outside world and dancing upon rooftops amid the burning, crumbling streets of Gotham.

There’s also run-ins with the law, rather eccentric musical numbers, a Steve Coogan cameo and a perfectly shot frame of Phoenix’s Arthur smiling in line with lipstick smeared by Gaga on a glass screen.

But despite the plethora of talking points, there’s one that’s infuriated several in the fandom – the fact Harleen Quinzel is depicted as a fellow patient, not the decorated psychiatrist from the comics.

Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga lead the cast of the new Joker film

WARNER BROS

Several have claimed that Quinzel’s descent to becoming Harley Quinn is only possible because of Arthur’s ability to corrupt her and turned her from being a respected psychiatrist into a villainous sidekick.

By avoiding that story and depicting her as an unhinged patient from the get-go, fans feel the storyline has left plenty to be desired.

Replying to Warner Bros’ X account, one fan queried: “The trailer looks good, but I think it’s overshadowed by one thing. One of the most iconic moments in Harley Quinn’s story is her origin. Which is a psychiatrist at Arkham who fell in love with Joker, and you changed it. Why?”

“Another steaming pile of s*** incoming here,” a second fumed. “Firstly Harley Quinn is now a PATIENT at Arkham not his Psychiatrist?! This is NOT the DC Joker, should have just called these movies ‘The Clown’.”

He’s not alone anymore. Joker: Folie à Deux – only in theaters and @IMAX, October 4. #JokerMovie #FilmedForIMAX pic.twitter.com/cOx0hZIX8g

— Joker Movie (@jokermovie) April 10, 2024

Meanwhile, a third slammed: “Harleen Quinzel ain’t a fellow patient at Arkham Asylum, she’s Joker’s psychiatrist. Through a dysfunctional erotic countertransference she becomes Harley Quinn, Joker’s girlfriend/criminal sidekick. Was looking forward to seeing the Shrink on Screen trope but the rest looks OK.”

Another hit out at the tweak to the original storyline: “Folie a deux looks/feels like from the trailer it’s going to completely abandon harley’s origin as a genius psychiatrist gaslit by a master manipulator into….. her just being a female joker. Harley, even before she was in the comics, was more than that.”

“Joker 2 don’t p**s me off. Harley was Doctor! She was a psychiatrist! And the joker drove her to madness. This movie is not giving that,” another fumed before a sixth added: “So did they just erase the plot point of Harley being Joker’s psychiatrist???? That’s actually really disappointing wtf???”

However, the change in Quinn’s origin didn’t go down terribly with everyone in the fandom, with one unsure fan commenting: “Idk if making harley a fellow arkham asylum patient instead of joker’s psychiatrist is better or worse.”

And a second defended the decision outright: “Not every joker timeline needs Harley as the psychiatrist. You should’ve known by now they aren’t going the normal route with this movie.” (sic)

Phillips addressed questions about the film at the unveiling of the trailer during Tuesday’s CinemaCon in Las Vegas.

Comic books fans are not happy with the new trailer for Joker: Folie a Deux

WARNER BROS

While there, he answered questions over whether the movie is poised to be a musical due to the frequent focus on music in the film and Gaga’s appointment.

“We never really talked about it like that, but I like to say it’s a film where music is an essential element,” Phillips told the audience. “To me, that doesn’t veer too far from the first film,

“Arthur [Fleck]’s weird and aloof and all these things, but he has music in him. He has a grace to him.

“That informed a lot of the dancing in the first film… it didn’t feel like that big of a step here. It’s different, but I think it’ll make sense when you see it.”